The prior art discloses simple construction measuring appliances comprising a sighting device, with the aid of which a spatial point, e.g. a corner point, is sighted manually and the sighting direction is then changed manually to a next spatial point to be measured, e.g. a further corner point.
DE 196 48 626 for example discloses a method and an apparatus for area measurement with a laser distance measuring device having a laser transmitter and a laser receiver. The laser distance measuring device is mounted on a stand. The apparatus furthermore comprises a tilting and rotating device for alignment and direction measurement, a telescopic sight and also an electronic evaluation unit for angle data acquisition, distance data acquisition and data transfer to a computer. For measuring a space, the appliance is positioned at a central location in the space, from which all spatial and/or area corner points to be detected can be sighted and impinged upon by the laser beam. In accordance with the disclosure of DE 196 48 626, the spatial points to be measured are in this case each sighted individually, if appropriate—in the case of relatively large distance—with the observation being supported by means of a telescopic sight. An automated sequential measurement of a plurality of spatial points, comparable to a scan, for example, is not disclosed in DE 196 48 626.
A similar apparatus and associated measurement method are disclosed in DE 44 43 413, the supplementary published patent application DE 195 45 589 and WO 96/18083, which claims the priority of DE 44 43 413. They describe a method and an apparatus for measuring and marking on distant lines, areas or in at least partly closed spaces. One or a plurality of relevant spatial points are measured according to in each case two solid angles and the distance relative to a reference location by means of a laser distance measuring appliance mounted in a cardan-type fashion. The laser distance measuring appliance is pivotable about two mutually perpendicular axes equipped with goniometers. In accordance with one embodiment described in said documents, spatial points to be measured are headed for manually and marking points are calculated from the measurement data, on the basis of a predefined relative relation between measurement and marking, said marking points then being moved to automatically by the measuring and marking apparatus.
However, this document also does not disclose an automated sequential measurement of a plurality of spatial points, comparable to a scan, for example.
EP 1 733 185 discloses an apparatus and a method whereby specifically edges on a polygonal, otherwise planar surface are intended to be measured precisely. However, an automated sequential measurement of a plurality of spatial points is not disclosed.
Known construction measuring appliances typically comprise a base, an upper part mounted on the base in a manner rotatable about a rotation axis, and a sighting unit, which is mounted in a manner pivotable about a pivoting axis, having a laser source designed to emit a laser beam, and an imaging detector, for example equipped with an alignment indicating functionality for indicating an alignment of the sighting unit with a spatial point as sighting point, and also a distance determining detector for providing a distance measuring functionality. The alignment indicating functionality can be, for example, a reticle in the view finder of a camera as imaging detector.
Modern, automated construction measuring appliances furthermore comprise rotary drives, which make the upper part and/or the sighting unit drivable in a motorized manner, goniometers and, if appropriate inclination sensors for determining the spatial alignment of the sighting unit, and also an evaluation and control unit, which is connected to the laser source, the distance determining detector and also the goniometers and, if appropriate, inclination sensors.
In this case, the evaluation and control unit is equipped for example with a display having input means for inputting control commands of a user on the display and for representing an image of the imaging detector or camera on the display, wherein the alignment of the sighting unit can be indicated by means of the alignment indicating functionality on the display e.g. by means of overlaying. Functionalities are known in which the input means on the display are designed as four large areal arrows, the marking and touching of which enable a user to change the alignment of the sighting unit in a horizontal or vertical direction. However, changing the alignment in an arbitrary direction, not exclusively in a horizontal or vertical direction, on the basis of such a functionality, can be time-consuming and difficult to handle and not very intuitive to operate.